For those want to improve memory, here is some important information on stress- a very, very powerful brain buster.
Chronic stress robs you of brain power. It literally shrinks and destroys the brain regions that are crucial for memory. Let’s elaborate. Stress is not just something that’s in your mind. It is hormonal, biochemical, and physically real. When you are stressed, a special class of hormones called glucocorticoids flood your bloodstream. Glucocorticoids are the stress hormones, and they exert powerful effects on brain cells (and almost every other cell in your body).
Countless studies have shown that chronic, excessive glucocorticoid exposure shrinks and destroys your hippocampus. The hippocampus is one of the most important structures in your brain for laying down memory. If you had to pinpoint the memory engine in your brain, this would be it.
Many journal articles in the neurologic literature have shown that chronically high levels of stress and glucocorticoids are associated with hippocampal damage and memory decline.
Actually, there is quite a bit of evidence accumulating that excessive stress may play a significant role in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
I got to 2 trains and thought it was hard!
[...] Update: For those looking to improve memory, here’s the above mentioned post on stress as a brain buster [...]
[...] So excessive stress basically sucks your mental energy away, and impairs your memory and ability to concentrate. By what mechanism does this happen? Stress causes the hormone cortisol to flood into your body. Cortisol has potent effects on almost every organ system, and when present in exess, disrupts your immune system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, as well as your brain. Earlier we discussed what stress does to the hippocampus- just one, specific, but very important area of the brain. But there are other areas that also get injured. Here’s a nice overview on how stress biochemically injures your organs (Mayo Clinic webpage). A significant amount of research over the past several years indicates that stress also plays a major role in: [...]
[...] Pain, of course, is a major stressor, and modern neuroscience tells us exactly what stress can do to brain cells. [...]
[...] Back last year, I posted about the powerfully negative effects chronic stress has on your memory and brain. Now, a new study [Reference below] published in the June 12, 2007 journal of Neurology provides further evidence this is true by showing: [...]